Departments of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
J Exp Biol. 2010 Apr;213(Pt 7):1060-8. doi: 10.1242/jeb.034678.
The neural circuitry and biomechanics of kicking in locusts have been studied to understand their roles in the control of both kicking and jumping. It has been hypothesized that the same neural circuit and biomechanics governed both behaviors but this hypothesis was not testable with current technology. We built a neuromechanical model to test this and to gain a better understanding of the role of the semi-lunar process (SLP) in jump dynamics. The jumping and kicking behaviors of the model were tested by comparing them with a variety of published data, and were found to reproduce the results from live animals. This confirmed that the kick neural circuitry can produce the jump behavior. The SLP is a set of highly sclerotized bands of cuticle that can be bent to store energy for use during kicking and jumping. It has not been possible to directly test the effects of the SLP on jump performance because it is an integral part of the joint, and attempts to remove its influence prevent the locust from being able to jump. Simulations demonstrated that the SLP can significantly increase jump distance, power, total energy and duration of the jump impulse. In addition, the geometry of the joint enables the SLP force to assist leg flexion when the leg is flexed, and to assist extension once the leg has begun to extend.
已对蝗虫的踢腿神经回路和生物力学进行了研究，以了解它们在踢腿和跳跃控制中的作用。有人假设，相同的神经回路和生物力学控制着这两种行为，但这一假设目前无法通过现有技术进行测试。我们构建了一个神经力学模型来对此进行测试，并更好地了解半月片（SLP）在跳跃动力学中的作用。通过将模型的跳跃和踢腿行为与各种已发表的数据进行比较，我们发现它们复制了活体动物的结果。这证实了踢腿神经回路可以产生跳跃行为。SLP 是一组高度硬化的表皮带，可以弯曲以储存能量，用于踢腿和跳跃。由于 SLP 是关节的一个组成部分，因此无法直接测试其对跳跃性能的影响，试图消除其影响会使蝗虫无法跳跃。模拟表明，SLP 可以显著增加跳跃距离、功率、总能量和跳跃冲量的持续时间。此外，关节的几何形状使得 SLP 力在腿部弯曲时有助于腿部弯曲，并且一旦腿部开始伸展，就有助于伸展。
